COMPLAINT: LMPD officer sexually harassed by superiors at “adult pool party” in open marriage | Detailed

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Louisville police officer has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the police department, a former supervisor, and her husband, claiming that their sexual comments and advances toward her were “totally inappropriate.”

The lawsuit, filed Thursday on behalf of Sergeant Lauren Carby, alleges that Maj. Shannon Lauder and her husband, Lt. Jeff Lauder, bragged about their sexual exploits to others in the department and hosted an “adults-only” pool party with members of the domestic violence unit and sex crimes investigators in August 2020, during which Jeff Lauder made sexual advances toward Carby.

Shannon Lauder herself complained in May that she had been sexually harassed by a major, prompting Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg to place Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel on paid administrative leave last week because of the chief’s poor handling of an “allegation of sexual harassment in the workplace.”

In an audio recording of a May 22 meeting with her command staff, the chief promoted a male officer, Maj. Brian Kuriger, to lieutenant colonel immediately after Lauder accused him of sexual harassment.

The lawsuit accuses Lauder and her husband of sexual misconduct. The two spoke openly about their extramarital affairs and Shannon Lauder told her to come back to the pool party when she tried to leave because of her husband’s advances.

When Carby returned to the Lauders’ house, Jeff Lauder was waiting for her, according to the lawsuit. He led her upstairs, where Shannon Lauder was sitting on a couch, “very drunk and searching for” a detective she had kissed earlier at the party.

According to the lawsuit, Shannon Lauder allegedly told Carby that she had “her blessing to enter into a relationship with Jeff.”

When Shannon Lauder left the room, Jeff Lauder tried to kiss Carby, the lawsuit says. Carby allegedly pushed him away and left the house.

Shannon Lauder apologized the next day and told Carby she had “revealed too much,” the lawsuit says.

Carby states that rumors were circulating about the party and some people suggested that she was a “voluntary participant.”

Despite the rumors, there was no immediate investigation into the party, the alleged harassment by Jeff Lauder or the allegations that Shannon Lauder had a relationship with a detective under her command, the lawsuit says.

Meanwhile, Carby was repeatedly denied promotions, one of which was Police Chief Gwinn-Villaroel refusing to appoint Lauren to the position.

“Lauren realized that the last few years would have been tremendously easier for her professionally if she had simply slept with Jeff Lauder in 2020,” the lawsuit states.

On May 15, 2024, Carby wrote a memo to the department about the events of the 2020 pool party and other alleged harassment by Shannon and Jeff Lauder. She was not informed whether an internal investigation is underway.

In a statement, an LMPD spokeswoman said, “We will not tolerate sexual misconduct as it runs counter to our mission to provide a safe work environment for our entire team and our city.”

The department launched an investigation into these allegations in October 2022 and “we are extremely frustrated that we were unable to complete this investigation because the court sided with the FOP and temporarily halted the investigation,” the statement said.

“We take these – and all – allegations of this nature seriously and will thoroughly complete our investigation and take action. We are currently reviewing all of the allegations in this lawsuit and will share more information as soon as we are able.”

The complaint states that the FOP filed suit against the city, alleging that the LMPD violated the terms of its collective bargaining agreement with the FOP by improperly initiating an internal investigation based on confidential and proprietary information.

A lawyer for Shannon Lauder, Jared Smith, said in a statement that the allegations were “baseless.”

“The Lauders have dedicated their careers to honorable police work for LMPD for 16 years,” he said. “The timing of Carby’s lawsuit seems opportunistic considering other recent allegations of sexual harassment against LMPD. Her allegations are without merit. LMPD failed to properly investigate this internally for years, as evidenced by a recent ruling stemming from a lawsuit filed by the FOP. This case is an example of a botched internal investigation based on rumors and innuendo.”

This is the second sexual harassment lawsuit filed against the LMPD this week.

On Tuesday, officer Christine Silk claimed she was sexually harassed by two male supervisors during her first year on the job; one sent her a picture of his penis.

Officer Silk claims she was touched inappropriately, asked in front of other officers if she needed to “prostitute herself for child care,” sent inappropriate text messages, asked to hug a supervisor who had an erection, and asked by the same officer to read her sexual fantasies he had written about her, among other allegations.

Both Silk and Carby argue in their lawsuits that LMPD has “a disturbing internal culture in which widespread patterns of harassment, sexual misconduct, predatory behavior and discrimination by members are repeatedly excused, ignored, concealed, encouraged and justified.”

Both women are represented by attorney Sara Collins, who stated in both lawsuits that the Justice Department believes the LMPD does not properly investigate allegations of sexual misconduct within the agency.

“We found numerous cases in which the LMPD failed to initiate administrative investigations consistent with criminal investigations into reports of sexual misconduct and domestic violence by officers,” the Justice Department’s March 2023 report said.

The lawsuits also cite other cases of sexual harassment of female police officers, including a $1.2 million settlement in 2019 to a lieutenant who received unsolicited sexually explicit photos.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a jury trial.

Retired FBI agent David Beyer is leading an independent investigation into the chief’s handling of Shannon Lauder’s allegation. A separate, independent investigation will look into the harassment allegation itself. Beyer previously investigated allegations of sexual harassment at Metro Corrections and TARC at the request of the City Council.

“I will not tolerate sexual misconduct in Louisville city government, including in the LMPD,” Greenberg said last week.

Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey leads the department in the role of “acting chief.” Humphrey joined the LMPD in 2006 and spent several years as an officer in the 1st and 6th Divisions in the Newburg and Russell neighborhoods. He joined the SWAT team in 2010 and became its commander in 2017.

This story will be updated.

Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All rights reserved.